Populism wins in America because it is common sense. Populism is not Nationalism, though the two are often conflated. Populism is “a political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups.”
The most populist candidate, by that definition, wins nationally. In the past 40 years, Carter was more populist than Ford; Reagan was more populist than either Carter or Mondale; Bush senior pivoted cynically to appear more populist than Dukakis, and was exposed in 1992 by the more populist Clinton, who was more populist than Dole as well. W. campaigned as more of a populist than both Gore and Kerry, and Obama was far more populist than McCain and Romney.
Bernie and Trump were both more populist than Hillary.
And that brings us to this intriguing monologue of Tucker Carlson. Here he is, reading the words of Elizabeth Warren, wishing that they were spoken by a Republican.
Carlson calls Warren’s ideas “Economic patriotism.”
“Amazingly that’s pretty much what it is – economic patriotism,” said Carlson. “Pure, old-fashioned economics, how to preserve good-paying American jobs.”
Carlson, though, conflates Populism with Nationalism, as do many on the Alt-Right. Nationalism is defined as “identification with one's own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.”
I myself am a Populist, by the definition above, but not a Nationalist. It will do us well on the left to parse and separate Populism from Nationalism, and to run with the idea of appealing “to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups.”
Because Populism wins in America.
There is much to disagree with in Carlson’s monologue here, possibly more than we agree with, his lengthy quote of Elizabeth Warren included. And, we will be fools to ignore the fact that Warren is surging because of her Populism, and that Populism is neither right nor left. To cede Populism to the right because we, ourselves, conflate it Nationalism, would be a grave, perhaps fatal error.
Populism wins. Sanders, Warren, and even Biden understand this.
Robin Pennacchia wrote an article for Wonkette, titled, Elizabeth Warren Scaring The Bejesus Out Of Trump Campaign Now. There are many reasons she scares him. She famously has plans. She also voices the plain-spoken Populism that Republicans offer as lip-service. “Warren's populist economic agenda, Carlson said, ‘sounds like Donald Trump at his best.’"
Donald Trump, at his best, though, could only sound like that. The GOP can only sound like that. That’s how Trump won the Rustbelt. It’s up to Democrats, whichever one gets the nomination, to embody that. It’s important for the Democrats, as a whole, to be congruent in our appeal to “ordinary people,” and to make sure people understand that Trump and McConnell embody “established elite groups.”
“Drain the Swamp” is a winning strategy, spoken by someone who admitted later that it was just a cynical slogan to dupe people into voting for him.
It’s a winning strategy, nonetheless.
We can’t let the right usurp and assimilate Populism. The minute we turn up our noses at the concept of Populism because we see what the alt-right is doing, is the minute we become the “established elite groups” that they will vilify.
It’s a winning strategy.
Populism wins in America.